| Author | Message | ||
     Cmgaviao |
Hello all, a couple of newbie questions. I just got my 2000 X1 about a year ago (only 1k miles) and within a couple of months the rear rocker box started leaking. Not knowing too much about bikes at all, I had it repaired by a guy who said he did HD's. I didn't have any complaints with his work though as he was leaving he said "BTW, those old paper gaskets usually go within a couple of months of each other." Gee if you would have told me I would have had you do both. So, he lost a customer and I decided to try this job myself. 2 probably simple questions: 1. The new new steel gasket has a ridge (raised area) where the old gasket would contact the box. Unfortunately, its not printed on the gasket which side is "UP". The dealer I bought the gasket from was worse than useless telling me to call back when the buell tech was in. So, Which side is UP? 2. This is the front cylinder. There are 2 Hex screws that hold the lower assembly in place that the service manual specs to 120 lbs torque I believe. The screw in the front is right underneath the tie rod assembly which the service manual clearly warns not to remove from the head. How the hell are you supposed to get a torque wrench/socket in there to torque it down correctly? (I used an common allen wrench for removal) Thanks in advance for the response and my apologies if I've missed this somewhere in the archives. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Not absolutely sure about question 1, but I think there is only one way the gasket goes on. I could be wrong, but I don't think you have to decide where the ridge goes; it goes where its supposed to when you line the bolt holes up in the gaskets. I just did my best guess at the the torque for the fasteners I couldn't get a torque wrench on. | ||
| Xldevil |
Which side is UP? The side with the P/N on.But it's not really that important. 2.Torque the screw, according to the feeling from that screw, where you can use the torque wrench. Ralph | ||
| Cmgaviao |
Thanks for the info guys... The service manual doesn't mention it, but would it be appropriate to use some sort of gasket sealer on this? Also, 1 of my rear exhaust studs broke off after both nuts fell off (currently making due with 1 stud with a lock washer and 2 nuts on it). Is there any way to get the broken stud out myself, or should I just bite the bullet and take her in to the dealership? | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Answer #1: NO gasket seal Answer #2: With a stud remover, you should be able to back out the broken stud. BTW....the broken stud was most likely caused by using 2 nuts. However, that is just an opinion that has been hottly debated on Badweb. | ||
| Bookyoh |
I just did my rocker cover gaskets a couple of weeks ago. It is a good idea to use a cotton swab and some solvent to wipe out the threaded holes. Some of them get pretty oily. I also cleaned the bolts and used blue locktite. Mark Cincinnati | ||
| Seth |
Hey!! Check that torque value you quoted. If memory serves correctly it is inch pounds, not foot pounds. | ||
| Bluelightning |
Seth is correct. IN/Lbs not Ft/Lbs on those hex screws!! I can see it now: "I torqued it to 120 ft/lbs and the head just popped right off. I dunno what happened" ....lol | ||
| Xldevil |
should I just bite the bullet and take her in to the dealership?Why? No problem to remove the head by yourself. Ralph | ||
| Djkaplan |
"Seth is correct." But he never said ft*lbs or in*lbs, he just said lbs. Not a big deal, but in/lbs really isn't the way to show the units for torque. The slash gives the impression it's inches divided by lbs. | ||
| Patrickh |
y'all beat me to it, the little bolts in the rocker covers and boxes are listed in INCH pounds. I torque the ones you cannot reach with a torque wrench just like Ralph said...by feel The broken stud can be removed in several ways. JIM'S tool's makes a drilling plate that can be mounted while the head is installed. It centers your drill bit on the exhaust stud. A bolt remover may also work while the head is mounted, but you will need to be careful of the bit walking across the stud or digging in sideways. The first time this happened to me I ended up drilling across the stud and had to remove the head and put it in my drill press. Then I cleaned up the hole and installed a heli-coil to re-thread the hole. It has been my experience that you should fix any small problem on your tuber as soon as you notice it so it does not become a big problem. I always listen very closely to the noises my bike makes in case anything changes so I can catch problems early. These bikes are not fragile but they are hot-rodded, air cooled, vibration prone, sportster motors that need minor problems attended to. If you are going to remove the head you should replace you exhaust and intake seals. I do mine every 2-3 years. They are only rubber and they start to harden. | ||
| Patrickh |
oh yeah, I dunno about anyone else but I have never used any type of loctite in my head assembly. I also don't worry to much if the bolts have some oil on then either. | ||
| Jackbequick |
I put the metal gaskets on my M2's rocker boxes this winter. The SM does not call for any Loctite anywhere so I didn't use any. Nor was there any evidence of any ever having been used before. I have a good collection of 1/4" and 3/8" drive Universal joint drives, adapters, extensions, and crowsfoot wrenches. There was only one screw that I could not get a torque wrench on and that that was the right rearmost top cover screw that is under the tube. Got about 1,000 miles on it already this spring and not a drop of oil visible anywhere. Jack | ||
| Oldog |
Cm: If you can score the 80$ drill guide use it by all means, don't mess with extractor tools if you can help it If you break it off in the stud you have a bigger mess. The problem with hand drilling is having the bit wander out of the steel and in to the head (alum)by starting off center or going in crooked. If you are interested you might want to try this: remove: the header, and take one collar off to use as a guide, find a fractional drill that just fits the hole in the collar, bolt it on the remaining stud, snug lining it up over the broken stud, just start cutting on the broken stud with the drill that just fits, it will make a spot mark we hope a centered spot ( thats all you want to do first )in the stud then with small drills 1/8" or so work up to the tap drill size (#7 0.201" for 1/4-20 or #3 0.213" for 1/4-28)- coarse / fine If you stay centered hand drilling you can tap back to original size, or If desired you can enlarge the hole and place a helicoil insert in the hole, JLnance used a punch to place the dimple in the end of the stud, i cant hit it dead center by hand so I would use a tool I have called a transfer punch and one of the collars, Unless drill bushings are out of site I wolud get a scrap of aluninum plate and a bushing and bit and using a collar as a guide I would make the tool my self, saturday am + the satisfaction of I made it. If you have the money get or borrow the tool if not, you may want to improvise, IHTH I removed my un broken studs by double nutting and using red locktite on the nuts and then removing with a deep socket and 1/2" air drive, its either out or broke. | ||
| Patrickh |
"The problem with hand drilling is having the bit wander out of the steel and in to the head (alum)by starting off center or going in crooked." yep, that is exactly what happened to me. drilling out a hardened bolt from an alloy head is a tricky at best. You'll have to strip the bodywork off and remove the battery to get a drill in there. In truth, my experience has convinced me to remove the head if it ever happens again. Allows you to get at the part with plenty of light and less aggravation. Of course my stud broke off below the surface of the threads. I have stud removers that look like large plug wrenches. Inside they have rollers which pinch the stud when turned anti-clockwise. They will take out any stud. I have used the double-nut-red-loctite trick and it works well, but this one stud was not coming out. Now I use anti-seize on the threads of the exhaust studs. I loosen and re-torque them every once and again, although one has never really seemed to work itself loose. | ||
| Oldog |
If I got them loose as cheap as they are I would replace them, the anti seize is a great idea, Pat, the idea with the Jims tool is that it has a hardened drill Bushing in the correct postion to guide the drill bit dead center down the hole, thus saving the hassle of removing the head. The studs are a mild steel the heads being aluminum once the drill breaks in to it your done and the fight is on, If you can get one a left hand drill bit can catch the stud and unscrew it some times, your extractors sound pricy but easy to use when I double nutted the studs I had to pay attention so as not to break the studs a final thought if you start to drill a stud or bolt out a drill bit will follow an existing hole even if it is not straight AND if there are differing materials ( like steel and aluminum ) the drill will push into the aluminum every time because it is easier to cut. | ||
| Cmgaviao |
*!@#$!# Murphy has struck again. LOL I guess I should have taken it to the stealership. What looked like something straight forward has now turned into my nightmare. As I was torqueing in the 3 smaller bolts on the lower box assembly, the bolt head popped off before I even hit 10lbs of torque. Or it could just be that my torque wrench is a POS. Walked away in disgust. Hopefully, there will be enough of the bolt sticking up out of the head that I can turn it out after I disassemble it tonight. Otherwise...I guess I'll be removing the entire head. Thanks for all the tips so far guys! | ||
| Jackbequick |
Was it "clicker"? Sometimes the clicks on those are real hard to feel or hear if you at the lower end of the end of the scale. They can be easy to miss. I quit immediately if I get suspicious that I may have missed it and then sometimes get an immediate click when I reapply some pressure. It is sort of like the clicker won't "fire" if you're turning the bolt slowly sometimes. Clamp something like a drive adapter in a vise and play with the wrench a little to see if it is working. Good luck with getting that out! Jack |
